Publisher's Summary

Age of Discovery explores a world on the brink of a new Renaissance and asks: how do we share more widely the benefits of unprecedented progress? How do we endure the inevitable tumult generated by accelerating change? How do we each thrive through this tangled, uncertain time?

From gains in health, education, wealth and technology to crises of conflict, disease and mass migration, the similarities between today's world and that of the 15th century are both striking and prophetic: we have been here before. So what must we do to achieve our full potential, individually and altogether, this time around? Will we repeat the glories of the Renaissance, the misery, or both?

In Age of Discovery, Ian Goldin and Chris Kutarna show how we can draw courage, wisdom and inspiration from the days of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci in order to fashion our own Golden Age. Whether we're seized by Gutenberg or Zuckerberg, the discovery of the Americas or the rise of China, copperplate etchings or silicon chips, The Bonfire of the Vanities or the destructive fury of ISIS, the spread of syphilis or the Ebola pandemic, such Renaissance moments force humanity to give its best just when the stakes are at their highest.

Turning the spotlight on the crises of our time, Age of Discovery shows how we can all define and create a lasting legacy that the world will still celebrate 500 years from now.

As a university professor myself, I recognize text adapted from lectures or, worse still, a book designated as suggested as required reading for students. Thank goodness, I don't sit in Ian Golden's classes! This is quite possibly one of the driest, most boring accounts of what could otherwise be a fascinating account of global development.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

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Gerbil

Glasgow

17/10/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"An Interesting but sometimes confusing listen."

I found the main idea of this book to be interesting, but quite often the thread of the book is lost between a storm of facts, dates and the authors analysis.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Eliezer

10/08/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"very educational"

If you could sum up Age of Discovery in three words, what would they be?

historical, educational, economists.

What did you like best about this story?

the prospective it give you is very mind opening.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Mark Meadows?

not the best fan, sounds rather dreary.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

money could be everything

Any additional comments?

in

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

28/07/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Important and thought-provoking book"

What made the experience of listening to Age of Discovery the most enjoyable?

As a history buff, I downloaded this a couple days ago, even though the European Renaissance isn’t usually my preferred era. I wasn’t disappointed by the history, but I was wonderfully surprised by the comparative account the audiobook gives of the present day, of medical and scientific advances, technological leaps forward, and new ways of thinking.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the breadth. This is one of those expansive stories that covers an incredible amount of ground. The authors cover the social, political, economic, innovative, artistic, scientific, and religious forces that drive change in a Renaissance era and do an incredible job of convincing the listener that the same kinds of forces that moved Europe in the 14th-17th century are at play today.

Have you listened to any of Mark Meadows’s other performances? How does this one compare?

N/A

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

My favorite line, and I wrote it down, was: "The present is not merely a repeat of the past, but neither does humanity reinvent itself with each new generation. Circumstances change, technologies change, but our deep purposes remain more stable. And that is why we can paper back into history and bring back important lessons for the present."

Any additional comments?

This is a cool read. A romp. It's smart. Exciting, engaging, well-written, and timely.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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